Deemed to be around 31,800 years old, the mummified sabre toothed cat has recently been studied these past two weeks and significant findings have been disclosed.
The very rare finding of the frozen kitten was discovered four years ago in Yakutia, Russia. With no equivalent to any animal species that exists in the world today, the recovery of the cub’s head, front arms and paws, and part of the chest is a momentous scientific discovery.
This first study has found considerable differences to the modern lion cub, stating that the mummified body is coated with dark brown, thick fur that is about 20-30mm long. Noting that in the journal Scientific Reports, the cat was only three weeks old when it died.
The ancient cat also was comparably different with wider paws that are almost equal in width and length, and was described to have a ‘large mouth, small ears, and massive neck’. The mouth opening was found to be 11-19% larger than the modern cub and the neck considerably thicker and longer.
Scientists also found that the sabre-toothed cat is evaluated at around 35cm long with a large jaw and “cone-shaped” teeth. The kitten also did not have shock absorbers which is thought to be an adaptation caused by low temperatures and snow. From the cold and try conditions and permafrost in Siberia, the scientists have been able to study the sabre-toothed cat which has proved beneficial to understanding the adaptations and evolution of these cats and it is not the only discovery of preserved mammals in Siberia.
